Guns and Rubles: The Defense Industry in the Stalinist State

For this book a distinguished team of economists and historians-R. W. Davies, Paul R. Gregory, Andrei Markevich, Mikhail Mukhin, Andrei Sokolov, and Mark Harrison-scoured formerly closed Soviet archives to discover how Stalin used rubles to make guns. Focusing on various aspects of the defense industry, a top-secret branch of the Soviet economy, the volume's contributors uncover new information on the inner workings of Stalin's dictatorship, military and economic planning, and the industrial organization of the Soviet economy. Previously unknown details about Stalin's command system come to light, as do fascinating insights into the relations between Soviet public and private interests. The authors show that defense was at the core of Stalin's system of rule; single-minded management of the defense sector helped him keep his grip on power.

Table of contents

1. The Dictator and DefenseMark Harrison

2. Before Stalinism: The Early 1920sAndrei Sokolov

3. Hierarchies and Markets: The Defense Industry Under StalinMark Harrison and Andrei Markevich

4. Planning the Supply of Weapons: The 1930sAndrei Markevich

5. Planning for Mobilization: The 1930sR. W. Davies

6. The Soviet Market for WeaponsMark Harrison and Andrei Markevich

7. The Market for Labor in the 1930s: The Aircraft IndustryMikhail Mukhin

Author Bio

Mark Harrison has been a professional ELT author for 15 years. He has written a wide range of practice test books, for the IELTS, FCE, CAE, CPE and BEC exams. He has also been the Chair of and a writer for a variety of Cambridge exams, including IELTS, FCE, CAE, CPE and BEC. In addition, he has written both grammar and vocabulary books, and contributed to dictionaries, CD-ROMs and online materials.